Antinuclear

Numerous wind farm developments in the regions surrounding the ACT have been waiting for the opportunity to proceed with their projects. The one big element that has been lacking has been policy certainty, and therefore the lack of power purchase agreements and bank finance. The ACT, by offering a fixed 20-year tariff for 200MW of wind capacity bid at the lowest price, provides that certainty.

As RenewEconomy noted in our report yesterday, developers are so desperate for contracts that bidding is likely to be better than previously thought. The federal government, and its effective freeze on renewable investment, has done the ACT and its consumers a favour. “We are in a buyers’ market,” Corbell told RenewEconomy in an interview.

What is less clear, however, is how the ACT will deal with the vocal and influential “antis” in the surrounding districts where the wind farms will be built. The anti-wind position of many conservatives – along with pressure from state owned and private utilities to protect revenues – has been one of the key elements behind the government’s refusal to provide clarity on renewable energy.

Canberra’s surrounding regions are represented by the likes of federal MPs Angus Taylor (Hume) and Peter Hendy (Eden-Monaro) and state MLAs Katrina Hodginson and John Barilaro (Monaro) – all members of the Coalition and all who have either campaigned openly against wind farms, or do not support any new projects. Some of its most prominent “anti” residents include Tony Abbott’s business advisor, Maurice Newman, and Tony Hodgson.

“There is no doubt that this is a sensitive issue,” Corbell told RenewEconomy. “There are also some vocal and high profile opponents. But there are not just antis. I think there is a lot of support in those communities and the polls tells us that. But that doesn’t mean everyone supports wind farms.”

Corbell says he has written to all 16  mayors of neighbouring local government districts and would be willing to meet anyone to explain the policy framework, and why the ACT was investing in wind, and how it could reduce emissions, although he said it was not his place to justify or otherwise planning consents and other issues which were the province of the NSW government.

Corbell says the abatement achieved by the ACT through its 90 per cent renewables program will be additional to the national target, because the ACT proposes to “retire” the renewable energy certificates.

As for the health impacts: “I will simply say, again and again, what the respected, peer-reviewed scientific literature tells us; which is that there are no health impacts with wind farm operations.

“But that does not diminish the importance of a social licence to operate.”

The ability of project developers to engage with the community will be an important part of the criteria for the auction outcome, which will not be set on price alone. Around 20 per cent will be judged on community engagement and

Local development is also a key criteria. It was perhaps not a coincidence that Windlab announced on the same day the establishment of a wind institute in Canberra that will develop wind engineering expertise and a database.

One conservative voice very much in favour of the ACT initiative is the NSW parliamentary secretary for renewable energy Rob Stokes, who described the move as “bold and innovative.”

”From a NSW government perspective, we acknowledge that this provides some wonderful opportunities for jobs and investment in regional parts of NSW that could really do with those opportunities,” Stokes said in Canberra. Although the Canberra Times also quoted him as saying: ”We have learned that an ill-advised project can actually do damage to the industry more broadly.”…….http://reneweconomy.com.au/2014/act-ready-tackle-wind-antis-head-63392